Modern vehicles often include a wide array of communications and infotainment features. When they leave the factory, vehicles can include a vehicle telematics unit that monitors vehicle functions and also provides communication channels to remotely-located facilities and individuals. In addition, vehicles can include infotainment modules that can, as the name indicates, provide information and entertainment to vehicle occupants in a variety of forms, such as radio broadcasts and navigation services.
Radio broadcasts received by the infotainment modules have evolved from FM or AM analog radio content broadcast via terrestrial antenna to also include digital satellite radio or other digital radio broadcasts. While the terrestrial analog radio broadcasts can be received at the vehicle for no charge, digital radio broadcasts often involve some sort of a payment made to the provider. These payments may be made on a monthly basis or as a licensing fee that is paid in return for activating a digital radio broadcast receiver. Manufacturers of vehicles can provide hardware for each vehicle it assembles to receive digital radio broadcasts. However, vehicle manufacturers may be reluctant to activate that ability for each vehicle and pay an associated licensing fee when a vehicle owner may not use or enjoy the digital radio broadcasts received by the vehicle. Thus, it can be helpful to selectively activate the digital radio broadcast receivers in vehicles.